Almost nothing is perfect, except for our Savior

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In my 23 years as a pastor, I've officiated at dozens of weddings. I've performed them on top of mountains, in huge churches, and in quiet woods. Some weddings I've officiated have had hundreds of guests, while others only had one or two witnesses. Some have had glorious music, with excellent musicians and singers glorifying God. Others have had no music whatsoever.

But there's one thing virtually every wedding I've ever witnessed or been a part of has had in common: Something always seems to go wrong. Groomsmen pass out. Flower girls throw tantrums. Brides are late. Photographers knock over flowers. When my wife and I were married, the officiant forgot to turn on the PA system, so that the only ones who heard any of the service in that huge church were the members of the wedding party.

Nearly 2,000 years ago, something went wrong at a wedding that took place in the Galilean town of Cana. Long before the reception was scheduled to end, they ran out of wine. That may not seem like a huge disaster to us, but in that culture at that time, it would have been unthinkable. Whether it was the result of poor planning or lack of funds, running out of wine at their reception would have been beyond embarrassing for a newly married couple.

But fortunate for them, one of the guests at that wedding was able to do something about that predicament. After he was alerted to the problem, Jesus averted the problem, not by purchasing more wine, but by turning water - plain old H20 - into wine. And not just any wine, but the finest, best-tasting wine.

There's no such thing as a perfect, problem-free wedding. There's no such thing as a perfect, problem-free life, either. The classic storybook ending, "And they all lived happily ever after," just doesn't happen. Every life experiences problems. Every marriage has challenges. Every family has conflicts. Every person has pain. There are no perfect lives because there are no perfect people. "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," St. Paul wrote in Romans chapter 3. And with sin comes problems and pain.

There are no perfect weddings or lives. But there is a perfect Savior. And with your perfect Savior at your side, you can be sure that every imperfection is covered by his forgiveness, every problem is directed by a divine plan that serves our good, every challenge is met with the strength to bear it, and every tear is dried by his promises. Trust him. Follow him. And know that one day, we will have a perfect, problem-free life with Him in heaven.